Husband of Missing Spanish Fork Mom Gives Details of the Day She Disappeared

Kim Shields went missing Friday after work. She was last heard from when she sent her husband a text saying she was headed home. | Photo courtesy of Fawn Shields

updated March 29, 2011 at 1:37 p.m.

SPANISH FORK – After four days of not hearing from his wife, Jacob Shields and his two daughters now feel like they are living in a nightmare.

Kim Shields, 34, went missing on Friday. No one has seen or heard from her since. Her last credit card transaction was at 11 p.m. Friday in Lindon at a gas station not far from her dog grooming business. Her cell phone was last pinged in Washington City on Saturday. Her phone is now either shut off, or the battery has died.

Kim Shields is currently on six different medications that she takes daily for bi-polar disorder and depression. Her husband and her psychiatrist now worry that she may be a danger to herself because she does not have her medications with her.

Jacob Shields said in their 14 years of marriage, he has never gone a day without speaking to his wife. Despite her illness, her daughters have never before worried that they would never see their mother again.

The days leading up to Kim Shields’ disappearance were normal, her husband said. She had stayed up late a couple nights, but was acting normal when she went to work on Friday. She was excited about an upcoming job seminar, he said.

“She loved her job, in fact, she had a job seminar coming up this Saturday that she’d been looking forward to for a year,” he said. “She talked about it all the time, looked forward to it. That was kind of the highlight of her career and she took a lot of pride in her career.”

Kim Shields went to work last Friday like any other day. She and her husband both own the company, he manages the books from home. They had three employees; one of them is now also missing. Jacob Shields said two of the employees had been there for several years, the missing employee, Ryan Rawlings, had been there for only a few months. Jacob Shields said he never met Rawlings.

“The Lindon police officer told me that he had a felony record,” Jacob Shields said. “He lied about that on his job application.”

Spanish Fork Detective Duane Brunson previously told St. George News that Rawlings’ family has not seen or heard from him either.

“I don’t think she was having a relationship with him,” Jacbo Shields said. “I think she began to have a manic episode. It’s possible she was having a manic episode. I don’t want to emphasize that she could have left on her own accord. Either foul play was involved or she was not in the right mind. She never would have left her kids, let alone me.”

Jacob Shields spoke to his wife on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Kim Shields said she was waiting on one last client and she’d be leaving soon. At 8 p.m., Jacob Shields began to worry when he had not heard from her and began calling her cell phone. At 8:40 p.m., Kim Shields told her husband she had gone to her sisters and was now coming home. Kim Shields had never gone to her sister’s house that night.

“She’s never lied before about being somewhere she wasn’t,” Jacob Shields said. “This is very unusual. When I told her sister what she said, she was just shocked.”

Kim Shields’ credit cards were used at 11 p.m. at a gas station near the dog grooming company for two large amounts, both around $50. An ATM transaction for $200 was processed at the same gas station. She has not used her cards since, though her husband said he has left them active in case she needs them. Detectives have requested the tapes from that gas station. An undisclosed amount of cash is also missing from the register at the business the Shields own.

“She sounded pretty normal,” Jacbo Shields said of his last conversation with his wife. “It was nothing out of the ordinary. We have no idea where she was when she called last.”

His greatest worry now is that with so many days off her medication, Kim Shields is in danger whether she is with Rawlings or not. She did not take any personal items or her medications with her.

“The last time she had a manic episode was probably six years ago,” Jacob Shields said. “She ended up staying up all weekend and then being hospitalized for losing touch with reality. The week before she went missing she had stayed up a few nights really, really late. But when she had the manic episode (before), she didn’t leave or anything. She was closer to me than ever because she kind of felt more of a connection to me during that.”

St. George Police Department Sgt. Mike Giles confirmed that all police departments in the area were asked to be on alert for Kim Shields and 20-year-old Ryan Rawlings of Pleasant Grove. Rawlings’ family could not be located for comment.

She has two full size poodles with her: Cheeto is caramel-colored and Joe is black. The dogs do not have chips to locate where they are, Jacob Shields said.

If anyone has seen either Rawlings or Kim Shields, please contact your local police department.

Jacob Shields said he is continuing to run the business with the two employees, however he said he doesn’t think the business would last long without his wife.

email jwatkins@stgnews.com

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2011, all rights reserved.

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About the Author

Jennifer Elizabeth Austin is a multi-media journalist, youth motivational speaker and author. She is the mother of four rambunctious boys, which includes her German Shepard Ruger. Jen loves being active and enjoys fourwheeling, camping, fishing and shooting. She is a risk taker who fears only heights - therefore she is looking forward to the day when she will go skydiving. She blogs at www.JenniferElizabethAustin.com and www.IdahoMomBlog.com.

Is it possible to release a picture of this Ryan Rawlings and to add what kind of special project she was doing on Saturday? Was it a charity type of thing or door to door charity request? We are trying to help with a neighborhood watch in our city and keep track of what are families may be coming into contact with. It would really help us out.

Ya know I know this was a while ago but just the other day Ryan and I was talking about this. What would people say if it was a 34 year old man who ran away with a 20 year old woman? And lady Ryan has saved my life many time even when it meant he could die. I’ve known him for a long time he is a great man he stands up for the weak and small. The watch thing you got going on is great but if you have to spy and scare you might as well stop and reflect cause y’all are the weird ones